Do or Die for Surging Sea Dogs Roster

Afterstarting the season with the Ottawa Senators, Thomas
Chabot has 28 points (6 goals, 22 assists) in 23 games with the Saint
John Sea Dogs. (Courtesy of the QMJHL/Saint John Sea Dogs)

There are roughly 10 games left in the junior hockey season, and
bonafide Memorial Cup contenders are separating themselves from the rest
of the pack. With 10 wins in their last 11 games, the Saint John Sea
Dogs are a favourite in the QMJHL—and this could be their last chance to
win it with their current core.

The Winning Cycle
Winning is cyclic in junior hockey, just as in the pros. Once a team is
experienced enough to contend, it has a short window to win a Memorial
Cup. Players move on to either pursue an education or play professional
hockey (or in the NHL, greener pastures). There are a few “desirable
locations” that manage to stay competitive every year—the OHL’s London
Knights for example—but those teams are exceptions.

When players like Matthew Highmore and Thomas Chabot joined the Sea
Dogs, the team was rebuilding after spending three years at the top of
the QMJHL standings, from 2009 to 2012. During that period, the team had
advanced to two Memorial Cup Tournaments, winning the championship in
2011. The team featured a number of future NHLers, including Simon
Després (ANA), Charlie Coyle (MIN), Éric Gélinas (COL), Jonathan
Huberdeau (FLA), Mike Hoffman (OTT) and Tomas Jurco (DET).

Although the 2009-12 team had a lot of graduates, the team did well
to stockpile draft picks to ensure it would have another solid core to
develop in the years to come.

Ready to Win a Memorial CupNow, the Sea Dogs are again ready to compete for a Memorial Cup.
Bolstered by some notable trade deadline acquisitions, the team has
surged since mid-January, winning 10 of its last 11. And with nine of
the team’s top ten scorers moving on at the end of the season, it’s
do-or-die time this spring.

The team has eight NHL prospects, but it’s the undrafted Highmore who
paces it with 74 points (27 goals, 47 assists). That may sound like a
low total for the top scorer on a Memorial Cup contender, but there are
only so many goals to go around—there are nine players with more than 30
points on this team. It’s a deep, balanced squad that can burn you with
any line.

Although the team has many offensive weapons, it is led from the
backend. First round NHL draft picks Chabot (OTT) and Jakub Zboril(BOS)
were joined by Rimouski Oceanic captain Simon Bourque (MTL) at the trade
deadline, giving the team one of the most reliable defensive squads in
the country.

Up front, the team has a stellar cast that includes impending junior
grads Mathieu Joseph (TBL), Spencer Smallman (CAR), Bokondji Imama (TBL)
and Samuel Dove-McFalls (PHI). At the trade deadline, the Sea Dogs
added Julien Gauthier (CAR), who played with Chabot and Joseph at the
2017 World Junior Championships. The front line also features Nathan
Noel (CHI) and 2018 draft-eligible prospect Joe Veleno.

The Sea Dogs would have competed for a QMJHL championship regardless,
but the addition of netminder Callum Booth really enhanced their
chances. He has been a big part of the team’s recent run, and should
only improve as the season closes.

The QMJHL regular season ends on March 18th, and it will be a long
playoff slog for whichever team advances to become President Cup
champions. The Memorial Cup will begin on May 19th, hosted by the OHL’s
Windsor Spitfires.

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